Sorrell works for women

There are just a few days to go before Vermonters choose who will be the Democratic candidate for attorney general this fall. I have a message for the party and the electorate: Those of you who support gender equality ought to cast your ballot for Bill Sorrell.

It’s not just because Bill has recently turned the office’s attention toward narrowing the wage gap — Vermont women still only make 84 cents for every dollar earned by Vermont men. It’s also because Bill hires, retains and promotes female attorneys at a rate that puts many law firms to shame. The office’s organizational chart is proof enough — the majority of Bill’s division chiefs are women, as is his current deputy. In another anomaly, some of the most respected attorneys currently in the office are women who have chosen to trade in some of those office hours to do the important work of caring for their families.

Bill will have my vote on Aug. 28 because he’s got the experience to do the best job for Vermonters, because of his reputation as a national leader on consumer protection and environmental issues, and because he is right to turn the office’s attention toward narrowing the gap in the experience between working men and women in Vermont. But he also has my support because, during my tenure as one of Bill’s assistant attorneys general, I have never once felt that my talents and contributions were less valued on account of my having chosen to reduce my work hours to better care for my children. That — as any woman who has both a profession and a family will tell you — makes me the envy of my peers.

Please join me in supporting Bill Sorrell for Vermont attorney general.

Kate Whelley McCabe

Montpelier